Best Curl Refresher Spray for Natural Hair 2023

Having natural hair has many perks, including the convenience and versatility of endless hairstyles and haircuts. However, natural curls can also be unpredictable, often leading to some less-than-satisfactory hair days. You may have curls full of vivacity and volume one day and droopy leaf-like the next. Let’s not even think about tangles, humidity, and dress-ups.

featured image of best curl refresher spray for natural hair

However, it turns out that there is a quick solution to your naturally curly woes that won’t even require you to wash your hair. And that solution is the curl refresher spray.

Re-wetting and re-styling curls are usually necessary to regain tight curls and keep the frizz at bay. Yet, with the right curl refresher spray, you can always keep those coils neat and free from frizz with just a few spritzes. Doesn’t that sound incredible?

So, let’s get to know more about this fantastic product and all the ways it can grace your natural hair. We also present you with a detailed buying guide followed by our reviews of some of the best curl refresher spray for natural hair. Keep scrolling to check it all out!

Our Favorite Products at a Glance

Before we go into our main discussion, let’s take a quick sneak peek at our top three recommended products.

Disclosure Notice
ModelsPrice
Garnier Fructis Style Curl Renew Reactivating Milk Spray
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Around 5$ (5 fl oz)
Carol's Daughter Hair Milk Curl Refresher Spray
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Around 10$ (10 fl oz)
Cantu Comeback Curl Next Day Curl Revitalizer
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Around 5$ (12 fl oz)

What is Curl Refresher Spray? What Does It Do?

The Curl Refresher Spray is a miracle product that revives limp, weary curls with only a few spritzes. It restores life to your curls no matter how lifeless they become without the aid of any other hair products.

In other words, using the spray eliminates the need to re-apply shampoo, conditioner, mask, or anything else to your hair to bring back their oomph when they’ve lost it following a recent wash day. A good curl reviving spray contains emollients, moisturizers, and all the fixing agents needed to correct your hair right away.

You may leave the shower with beautiful curls that are smooth, shiny, and squeaky clean, but it only breaks your heart when you compare the look with the one you get the following morning or the next.

So a curl refresher spray can come to your rescue since you can’t repeat back-to-back wash days for the obvious reasons. With it, you’ll comfortably go two days (or maybe three or four) between your hair washes by redefining curls that have fallen flat or stretched out. For it prevents moisture from evaporating, your weak, grated, or broken coils get more time to stick.

The best thing that curl-refreshing sprays do is hydrate and revitalize the curls, offer a considerable hold, and add shiny luster without weighing them down or making them crunchy. Instead, they provide manageable volumes and bounce to the curls with no effort.

Why Should You Use a Curl Refresher Spray on Natural Hair?

Tell me why shouldn’t anyone be using this magical potion!

The product does seem to have not gained the same level of popularity as it should despite being nothing new. But a mist that revives curls tames frizz, and polishes the appearance without requiring an entire multi-step routine, is undoubtedly the best thing that can happen to any type of curly hair.

Somedays, you’re not able to keep your natural hair as chic as on your day-one after-wash. As soon as your curls feel the moisture shortage, they begin to seek it from the surroundings. And then’s when humidity barges in, and there you have the frizz and the dry fluffs. It’s pretty much the case for every woman with naturally curly hair, especially those with 3c to 4c coils.

But going 5 to 7 days before your hair gets another wash (occasionally more if you’re on protective styling or wash every fortnight) doesn’t mean it can’t still feel and look gorgeous midweek. Often, all your curls need is an added moisture boost to rejuvenate and get back to their original day-one beauty.

So, when such an urge strikes, why wouldn’t anyone turn to a curl refresher spray?

With curl refreshers, any naturally curly can refresh their ‘do without getting the locks wet. Considering curly Qs do not always have time to get wet and remoisten their coils every day, a mist does the trick efficiently; Plus, good refreshers have rich moisture-boosting ingredients you won’t find in plain old tap water.

Ingredients to look for in a Curl Refresher Spray for Natural Hair

A curl refresher spray is sure to provide instant shine, moisture, and smoothness to your naturally wavy locks. Yet, to make things perfectly click, you must ensure you’re purchasing the right product for your hair. And the key to finding the right product lies within their ingredients.

Here, we’ve discussed all those crucial ingredients in detail so that you can understand why they matter and how they can aid your curls.

Refreshment Begins with Silk Amino Acid

As we’ve already mentioned, your natural coils start seeking moisture when they’re dry, letting humidity in and causing your hair to become frizzy. So, the first concern your refresher spray needs to address is strengthening your hair’s protective barrier. And it can do so perfectly if it contains silk amino acid.

The silkworm-derived silk filaments are a rich source of amino acids that boast excellent binding properties (don’t worry, worms won’t attack when you spray!). It’s the most crucial ingredient in hair refresher sprays that provides the necessary bonding for strengthening dull, weak strands.

As you spray the refresher spray onto your hair, silk amino acids immediately bond with the keratin proteins, the primary cell-building blocks in your hair. This bonding repairs the weak protective layers or even recreates the damaged ones to keep moisture from escaping. At the same time, it also imparts a lustrous shine to your hair.

And the essentiality of this ingredient is even more apparent when you look at the core importance of the protective layer. After all, it’s why all other nourishing ingredients in the spray have a better chance of working as intended on your hair since they can’t evaporate quickly.

Curls Get Instant Health Boost from Shea Butter

After the refresher spray has resolved the barrier issue with your natural hair, it should be able to boost its shine and sheen while keeping it healthy at its core. And the ingredient that can do it most competently is shea butter.

Shea butter is an excellent sealant and emollient for natural hair. In addition to its vitamin A and E content, its essential fatty acids help provide moisture to your hair and seal those moistures within seconds. This core-enhancing refill gives your coils a natural-looking shine by covering up for the lost oil.

Meanwhile, your curls benefit immensely from the ingredient’s exceptional emollient properties that soothe and heal their dryness and brittleness, replacing them with an instantaneously softened feel. With regular use, it may even reverse split ends without a hitch.

Also, the omega-3 fatty acid comes in so very handy within shea butter that you can even remain worry-free under the sun if your spray contains it. With its significant amount of SPF, it can provide UV protection to your hair whenever you are out in the sun.

And the best part- it brings along all these goodnesses without making your curls greasy, unlike some chemical substitutes that some products use. Instead, it restores their suppleness, acting somewhat like an instant conditioner.

Aloe Extract Keeps Up Your Pattern

Among natural cures for hair, aloe vera is probably the most popular worldwide. Many people use this gel-like substance as their only styler. With this curl-shaper, you can instantly achieve a considerable natural hold and definition and simultaneously enhance your coily, edgy strands.

With your natural tresses pursuing more and more moisture all the time, the rich presence of sugar and water in aloe extract can be an excellent pacifier. It can keep your hair relieved and perfectly hydrated for hours, promoting a wet outlook.

You’ll barely see your hair get brittle or limp anytime soon, thanks to aloe’s film-forming properties, which also keep pH levels in check. And both traits play a more crucial role in preventing the strands from losing their natural curly structure.

Refresher sprays containing alcohols or other chemicals rather than aloe extract tend to dry more quickly despite offering superior hold. And even if they don’t, over time, they will deplete your hair of its natural proteins and color. Hence, if you’re going to maintain a healthy, natural, wet look while you’re out, your refresher spray must include this ingredient.

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Improves Elasticity and Bounce

While shea and aloe are sure to give your hair thorough hydration and a soothing feel, your natural curls could still use some added elasticity to fend off the stretches and trauma for longer-lasting effects. And your refresher spray can ensure it through hydrolyzed wheat protein.

The ingredient is a rich source of peptides. Therefore, it can quickly form bonds with your hair’s proteins and penetrate down to the cuticles, instantly enhancing your curls’ potency and elasticity. As a result, the strands become more resilient against the harshness and rigors of the environments, allowing you to enjoy an added bounce fearlessly.

Besides, regularly using a hair refresher spray with this ingredient will prevent your hair from breaking and splitting. And since it can also repair your strands’ damaged films, you can expect it to improve their color and shine.

Cheaper refresher sprays often use synthetic copolymers as a substitute for hydrolyzed wheat protein. While some of them may give you a nearly similar result, it won’t be good for your curls in the long run since they can lead to protein overflows, making your hair overly edgy and brittle.

Castor Oil Keeps Limpness Away

Limp curls undoubtedly are the least desirable part of having natural hair. Then imagine how fantastic it would be to be able to bring the fullness back by simply spritzing a refresher spray when your curls lose it after the wash day.

While it’s very much possible if your spray contains the ingredients we’ve already mentioned, the process can be far quicker and more satisfactory if castor oil tags along. This nutrient-rich vegetable oil possesses humectant and occlusive properties, giving your curls the hard-sought consistency.

Essentially, it thickens and increases your hair’s fullness straightaway without weighing it down or making it greasy. Because of its hydrophilic properties, it helps draw in the necessary amount of moisture to your hair from the oil glands as well as the other moisturizing ingredients. As a result, it protects against scraping and gradually heals the damage your curls may have been suffering.

Moreover, because of the improved thickness, your hair’s moisture can barely wane away even after wearing taut updos or downdos, which would otherwise lead it to fall flat. So, if you’re using a curl refresher with castor oil between your washes, you can always wear your favorite styles without compromising your natural curly fullness.

Tea Tree Oil

Every woman with full, dense, defined natural hair dreads the stickiness when using a styling product. As the locks become more sticky, they will become crunchier over time while losing the necessary slippage, thanks to all the dust and grime they catch. But your curl refresher spray could give you the immediate solution to this problem if it contains tea tree oil.

Because of its superior antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, tea tree oil can keep your natural hair fresh beyond all the sweat and dirt. In association with the silk amino acid, it fills up for your hair’s porous texture to ensure your strands can’t let in any outsider from the environment. At the same time, it gives your curls the necessary glide for easy maneuvering and styling.

As a natural oil, tea tree oil also blends well with shea butter and aloe to increase their anti-UV properties. As such, it’s an excellent replacement for hair sprays’ zinc oxide, which can often have side effects.

Ingredients to Avoid

The best products don’t always just contain the necessary component but also eliminate any harmful ones. And that goes for curly hair refresher spray as well. Following is a list of some of the ingredients that may cause severe damage; be sure to steer clear of them.

  • Silicones: Some sprays contain several variations of silicone to provide body and hold to your natural curls. But because of their water-repelling characteristics, they can sap the precious moisture off your hair, leading to dryness. Besides, they can weigh your hair down.
  • Mineral oils: These oils are moisture repellants. Mineral oil may significantly reduce water absorption and swelling of your natural hair. And frequent swelling and drying can harm your hair.
  • Parabens: They extend the shelf life of the product. Using them regularly, however, can permanently ruin your natural curl pattern and damage the scalp.
  • Methanal: A few refresher sprays may include it to smooth frizz, but frequently using this product can damage the keratin proteins that make up your hair.
  • Triethanolamine: Although some products use it as a pH adjuster for your curls, they make them all the more blistery over time.

The Must-Haves of an Ideal Curl Refresher Spray for Natural Hair

The following list outlines all the ingredients key to choosing the best curl refresher spray for natural hair. Before you purchase a product, be sure to compare each of these components carefully.

  • Silk Amino Acid – Must
  • Shea Butter – Must
  • Aloe Vera Extract – Must
  • Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein – Must
  • Hydrogenated Castor Oil – Must
  • Tea Tree Oil – Must

Best Curl Refresher Sprays for Natural Hair

Curl refresher sprays have yet to dominate the world of curly hair, but they are making their way slowly. And top brands like Moroccanoil, DevaCurl, CHI, Garnier, Wella, Loreal producing their versions of the product nowadays further adds to further evidence of its increasing popularity.

While they all indeed claim to deliver astounding results, not all of them would necessarily work well with your natural hair. After all, very few products contain all the essential ingredients you need to boost your curls instantly.

For this reason, we’re going to introduce you to some of the best curl refresher sprays for natural hair, which go above and beyond to keep your unmanageable coils fully satisfied between the washes. To begin, let’s first compare the following various features before moving on to our detailed reviews.

Key IngredientsGarnierCarolCantuCurl KeeperTexture ID
Silk Amino AcidYesYesYesYesYes
Shea ButterYesYesYesNoNo
Aloe ExtractYesYesYesYesNo
Hydrolyzed Wheat ProteinYesYesYesNoNo
Hydrogenated Castor OilYesYesYesNoNo
Tea Tree OilYesYesYesNoNo
Price ($)Around 5$ (5 fl oz)Around 10$ (10 fl oz)Around 5$ (12 fl oz)Around 15$ (3.4 fl oz)Around 10$ (8.45 fl oz)

Garnier Fructis Style Curl Renew Reactivating Milk Spray

garnier fructis style curl renew reactivating milk spray

Ranking Position: 1

Our Top Pick

Garnier’s Curl Reactivating Milk Spray nabbed the top spot on our list with its extensive mix of exotic ingredients, most notably, Moroccan Argan oil and coconut milk infusion. The spray doesn’t just satisfy your must-have list but also comes with its very own uniqueness that will make you adore it from the start.

The addition of Argan oil to the curl refresher spray, also known as ‘Liquid Gold,’ makes a world of difference for its exceptional nutrient properties. Although this versatile oil works well on all hair types, natural hair actually benefits the most from it since no other oil blends so well with its rough, complex texture, allowing the nourishments to flow in like a charm.

It carries a variety of health-boosting, lubricating components, including hydrolyzed amino acids, omega fatty acids, catatonic molecules, and essential polymers down to your cuticles. Together they provide matchless protection against static and roughness while giving you a shimmering luster like no other.

Coconut milk adds further evidence to the spray’s superiority over others. The unique infusion is rich in micronutrients your curls always keep craving. In addition to antioxidants C and E, its army of vitamins contains essential B vitamins, namely B-1, B-3, B-5, and B-6.

Collaboratively with hydrolyzed wheat protein, these vitamins instantly give your fragile natural hair the strength to ward off day-to-day environmental adversities. Since the spray contains silk amino acids, you won’t have to worry about losing these blessings anytime soon. It’ll make up for your open cuticles to ensure none of the nourishing agents can fade away quickly.

That remains true even if you opt to venture out in the sun, as the spray’s shea butter will protect your hair’s health and shine with its exceptional SPF benefits. It keeps your hair’s moisture locked in so that it can remain moist for prolonged periods, keeping the frizz at bay for stunning second-day hair.

Moreover, aloe extracts included in the spray provide even better curl retention and definition, eliminating staticky, edgy bends. In no time, it coats your coils’ scrapes with quick yet intense hydration and replaces their wiry outlook with a wet, prim finish and an all-day definition.

Neither will you have to fear losing this consistency and worry about the strands falling flat since the spray also comes with hydrogenated castor oil. It minutely thickens and volumizes your curls to keep the shafts healthy and fresh, even if your natural coils are fine and stringy.

And thanks to the spray’s tea tree oil involvement, you can also spray it boldly around your roots to lift them if they’re super bland, and it will keep your scalp from being sticky or itchy. At the same time, you’ll get great gliding and slippage as well as convenient manageability and styling.

This entire force of ingredients combines just perfectly within the spray, so much so that it even requires no scrunching at all after you apply it. No matter how kinky your curls are, how edgy or how limp your strands are, just spritz it all over, and you’re good to head out within seconds. And the divine fragrance only adds to your satisfaction, enticing you never to want to let go of it.

Yet, the best part? It will cost you less than five dollars to experience five ounces of such bliss! 

Pros

  • Softens and hydrates curls actively
  • Fights frizz effectively for lustrous locks
  • Safe, alcohol-free formula
  • Cruelty-free formulation

Cons

  • Many might not like the fruity coconut smell

What our tester says

My natural curls were always frizzy and lacked definition. However, this hair spray changed everything for the good. My tresses feel so soft and healthy! The curls too look very bouncy with full of shine. I will continue using it for years to come.

Jayme Burns

Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Curl Refresher Spray

carols daughter hair milk curl refresher spray

Ranking Position: 2

Our Runner-Up

Almost on par with Garnier Fructis is yet another milk curl refresher spray. This one’s from Carol’s Daughter, which just loses out to the former’s exotic duo of Argan and Coconut oil. However, that does little to taint the excellence of this natural hair-friendly spray.

Even though it does not contain the oils above, agave oil makes up for it, another highly effective oil for natural hair. A renowned source of tequila, its sugar is a massive intoxicator and healer for coarse curls struggling with broken cuticles, fierce fuzz, and color fades. In reviving sprays, it also works as a hydration intensifier to condition and rekindles your hair’s lost luster in a flash.

Between your last wash and the next, your carefree outings will inevitably require preserving the goodness of this oil. To ensure that, this curl reviver incorporates natural silk amino acids. While it provides your crusty coils with instant shielding, further health, shine, and smoothness follow with the product’s refined shea butter. Whatever the setting, they make your hair feel fresh, grease-free, and soft.

You won’t have to fuss over intricate knots and ‘dos sapping away your coils’ body and volume or flat out the kinks as the curl refresher comes with castor oil too. This powerful natural humectant keeps your curls perfectly thick and full, barely giving the dents or creases any chance to show up. You won’t feel your shafts weighed down by the wholesomeness either.

And with hydrolyzed wheat protein also present in the spray, your strands are always elastic enough to fend off the various higgling they could face. Neither remains the concerns regarding the coils getting edgy and uptight and disturb your naturally uniform pattern since the product also contains aloe extracts. Not only will it keep your hair meticulously hydrated for longer hours, but it’ll also offer a considerable hold to ease your preferred shape-ups. 

You can also expect to keep your hair nice and polished afro-like while also staying free of stickiness and mess-ups that would otherwise occur, thanks to the essential tea tree oil within the fine mist. Additionally, it prevents tangling while still providing adequate slippage for easy style tweaks. A lightweight, color-safe spray, it extends the liveliness of every natural hair type.

Pros

  • Free from harmful ingredients
  • Formulated with all-natural components
  • Refreshes curls for a refreshed look
  • Lightweight and doesn’t weigh down hair

Cons

  • Doesn’t come in any other sizes

Cantu Comeback Curl Next Day Curl Revitalizer

cantu comeback curl next day curl revitalizer

Ranking Position: 3

An Alternate Preference

Cantu’s naturally blessed hair products hardly ever disappoint, and this Comeback Curl Revitalizer is no exception. The lack of a ‘special’ oil like the above two products means it couldn’t make our top two. But it still ticks all the boxes on our list of vital ingredients, and that’s what makes it a great alternative.

Like the other Cantu products for natural hair, the curl reviving spray comes with African pure shea butter, the brand’s signature ingredient. Together with the intense-hydrating aloe extracts, it rejuvenates your curls’ natural bond with thorough moisturization. As a result, your style gets ready for a considerable hold, lustrous shine, frizz reduction, and efficient protection from UV rays in no time.

Not to forget its silk amino acids, which revitalize the protective layer around your brittle locks to correct and strengthen their natural structure. And it also paves the route for its hydrolyzed wheat proteins, which ensures you can enjoy bouncy curls all-day-round by adding significantly to their elasticity.

It also contains hydrogenated castor oil to boost your natural hair’s thickness and prevent it from lying flat. With merely spritzing around the roots, the spray can restore the lost volume to your jaded curls in seconds without adding weight. Since it also contains tea tree oil, you can always expect stickiness-free styling, easy slippages, as well as more manageability with this product.

At around five bucks for the twelve-ounce pack, you get excellent value. So, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, especially those who prefer fortnight washes, we’d highly recommend the Cantu Next Day.

Pros

  • Sulfate, paraben, and silicone-free formula
  • Adds shine and defines curls
  • Easy to use a spray bottle

Cons

  • Might feel heavy to some

Why We Don’t Recommend the Following Products

Curl Keeper Refresh Next Day Styling Spray

The first product we have left out of our list of three top recommended products is Curl Keeper’s Refresh Next Day Spray. It doesn’t quite click into natural hair as it lacks four essential curl-reviving ingredients.

The spray does bond your hair’s protective barrier with silk amino acids, but it doesn’t offer enough hydration and shine as you’d want. Since it’s devoid of shea butter, you cannot expect it to replenish the lost moisture very quickly, let alone the desired shine.

This spray provides some degree of hydration through aloe extracts, but it cannot improve your hair’s elasticity or texture since it lacks hydrolyzed wheat protein. Furthermore, you may feel sticky when sweating because tea tree oil also remains absent. The same holds for castor oil, meaning the product cannot lift or volumize your limp curls quickly and efficiently.

Texture ID Curl Refresher Spray

There are even more flaws in this Texture ID refresher spray than the one preceding, making it even lower on the pecking order.

It contains no other ingredient from the must-have list aside from the silk amino acids. The product incorporates several cheap chemical alternatives in place of these lackings, including silicones, mineral oils, and triethanolamine. This type of product may cause your precious hair more harm than good, so we strongly recommend you avoid it.

Final Thoughts

So, that’s that. Hopefully, after reading this article, you have a better idea of curly hair refresher sprays and how they can bless your natural hair. The sprays add shine and soften your natural coils, kinks, and waves while preventing dryness, tangles, and frizz.

We hope our reviews of the best curl refresher spray for natural hair will simplify your choice from among the dozens of options available. So go ahead and enjoy flaunting your hair as spectacularly as it deserves.